So what to do? One option is to continue to serve your super-healthy meals and ignore the complaints. The kids will get used to the healthy stuff right? They might, but if the complaints are too tough to take, don't despair, just start slowly and add a few healthy things here and there. Here are some easy ideas:
- Forget the fried chicken. Most grocery stores have delis with greasy, but quick and easy, fried chicken. Chicken can be part of a healthy meal, but not when it is coated in batter and soaked through with grease. Next time, choose the rotisserie chicken instead. These fully-cooked chickens are just as easily found in grocery stores and without the batter, they are lower in fat than the fried chicken.
- Switch out the sodas. Do your kids routinely drink sugary sodas with meals? Sugary sodas may be linked to diabetes and add calories to your children's diets while providing no nutritional value. So, switch to something else. Serve low-fat milk, 100% fruit juice or water with your kids' meals instead.
- Sneaky snacks. Eating small snacks between meals can be a healthy way to add good nutrition and keep your energy up during the day. The key with snacks is to have healthy stuff on hand. Don't keep potato chips, candy and cookies in the house any more. Buy healthier snack foods like raisins, string cheese, peanut butter, 100% fruit spreads, fresh fruits and raw vegetables with dip and crackers.
- Balance breakfasts. Kids really need to eat breakfast to do well in school. Kids also really love sugary cereals. In fact, those sugary cereals have as much sugar as candy bars. While a sugary breakfast is better than no breakfast at all, start reducing the amount of sugary cereals you kids eat. Rather than offering them a huge bowl of sugary cereal, which could easily equal two or three servings, serve a small bowl of cereal with low-fat milk and two slices of toast with peanut butter. Better yet, use whole grain bread or bread made with a blend of white flour and whole grains.
- Find some flax. Kids, and adults, need omega-3 fatty acids. Fish like tuna and salmon are great sources for omega-3 fatty acids, but many kids don't like the strong taste of oily ocean fish. Flax seeds and flax seed oil also supply omega-3 fatty acids and have a much milder flavor. Buy a small bottle of flax seed oil, keep it in your refrigerator and use it in place of butter on toast or bread, drizzle a little on pasta (under the spaghetti sauce) or sprinkle a little on their (unsalted or lightly salted) popcorn while you watch a movie together.
